


Roses in the Darkness

by NEDtheNerd



Category: The Demon Prince of Momochi House, 悪魔城ドラキュラ | Castlevania Series, 悪魔城ドラキュラX 月下の夜想曲 | Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, 悪魔城ドラキュラX　追憶の夜想曲 | Castlevania: Nocturne of Recollection
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, And More Fluff, Characters will be added as story progresses, Developing Relationship, Does Not Go Along With Timeline Logic At All, F/M, Fluff, I Will Go Down With This Ship, It's an AU so I Don't Care About Timelines, M/M, Mild Language, Tags may be added, There Really Needs to be More Lyudrian fics
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-07-05
Updated: 2017-09-04
Packaged: 2018-11-23 15:47:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,208
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11405544
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NEDtheNerd/pseuds/NEDtheNerd
Summary: For his whole life, Lyudmil has lived an average existence. Like any seventeen year old, all he wants to do is get through his second-to-last year of High School. To his aggravation, things can never be so simple. All he was supposed to do was take a photo of the legendary "Demon House" and he would be on his merry way and return to his day to day lifestyle. But this simple photo would do much more than just make the front page of the school newspaper... It would change his life forever.Loosely based on the manga "The Demon Prince of Momochi House" by Aya Shouoto.





	1. Prologue

The stone walls convulsed and trembled as thunder pounded upon the silence that used to encompass the subterranean crypt of the ancient residence. Lightning blasted through the inky heavens and the trees fought against the howling winds that forced their way past. The clamor of environmental explosion blasted past the gilded walls and echoed within the eardrums of a man who slowly felt his own body stiffening.

“What the Hell are you doing?” the man in red hollered with a gravelly shout, filled with shock, and filled with pain. He tried to stand up in the center of that cold-stone crypt, but he felt his arms begin to hold the weight of stones. His knees buckled and gravity tugged on every muscle of his ghastly-pale body until his legs hit the floor, not stopping to drag his arms with them. This invisible weight pulled him down until nothing was left under his control.

In an instant he knew what was to become of him. He knew as he began to feel the irresistible desire to sleep. 

“Adrian…” He pleaded. “Why?”

Before the fallen king stood the young prince, clad only in his black boots, trousers, and a simple white shirt. His long, wavy hair braised his shoulders as he towered over the fallen man. He was the spitting image of Lisa, the only woman the older man ever loved, but the younger man so fiendishly wielded the dark magic he taught the boy himself. 

His own son, betraying him. 

His son, betraying his dead mother, going against all they worked so long for. 

The fallen man felt this burdening pain well up within his chest as he once again asked his little boy, “Why?” 

In complete silence the angelic demon raised his right hand, glowing in the color of aster, towards the fallen man. The angles of the young man’s visage illuminated with the hue and placed a burning light within his golden irises. The power gathering from his hand grew stronger and stronger as the seconds passed, creating a pulsing spiral of magic to force out of his palm. With the increasing strength of the spell, he held the casting arm with his other, planting himself into a powerful stance as winds bellowed within the chamber, blowing his golden locks back in tangles.

With a thunderous boom a grand set of doors at the rear of this crypt forced their way open, letting in a blinding blue light, revealing a vertically upstanding casket, waiting to house its anticipated tenant. 

The forces grew stronger, causing tables to be upturned and vases to crash on the floor. Soon the body of Lord Tepes was being sucked in, pushed by the will of his own son, his own flesh and blood. As his body was pulled into the light, he asked one final time, screaming at the top of his lungs, “Adrian! Why?” And with a final cry his body was sealed within the coffin, the large doors instantly shutting across it. Then massive chains that sat attached to the walls and ceiling stretched across the large, doors, making it impossible for any mortal man to escape. 

The elements inside and out calmed down, reinstalling the silence that usually resided in the cold, dark room of stone. 

The young man who was called Adrian by both of his parents stood there alone in the still room. He felt drained, tired even. His head felt fuzzy as he tried to make his way closer to the doors which behind now slept his beloved father. 

It was likely that he would never see him again. 

“Noapte bună, Tată.” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello wonderful readers! Thanks for looking at my new work "Roses in Darkness!" If you are new to my works, I primarily write fics surrounding Alucard and Lyudmil from the Castlevania franchise (if you like them, check out my other works maybe :)) . And if you are a returning reader, welcome back! Let me try to be short and sweet here, because I tend to go on: I am very excited for this AU! The Demon Prince of Momochi House is one of my favorite mangas, and I was looking through them the other day and got a bout of inspiration to throw Alucard and Lyudmil and their friends into this modern yet mystical world. But it is LOOSELY based, and if you have read the manga before, you could probably see the similarities and differences. Anyway, thank you for reading!


	2. House of Legend

What a beautiful day it was. A crisp autumn breeze was blowing past the trees, causing the bushels of leaves to emit a soft rustle. The sky was as blue as it could be with soft clouds puffing up in select spots. Everybody who was anybody would have taken advantage of the wonderful weather, especially after a long day at school.

But here Lyudmil was, still doned in his black school uniform, camera in hand, and cellphone to his ear, trudging along the old dirt path that cut through the dense woodland. This was literally the last place he wanted to be right now.

“Yes,” he grumbled into the box at his ear.

All he wanted to do was go home and get all of his studying over with, like he usually did after school. The load of homework was almost unbearable this time of year, especially since he was now in his second year of High School. If he could finish his studying, maybe he could actually start that book that has been sitting on his bookshelf for the past, what was it, three years? Either way, he had to take care of this before anything else. In all truthfulness, he did not actually mind doing this. He was going to do it anyway, but he was just pissed that Hector bailed on him last minute, which put all of the responsibility on his back and his back alone. They had this planned for weeks, that is, planned to investigate the infamous “Demon House” that supposedly resided in the woods behind town. But who actually showed up? Only Lyudmil did.

“Yes,” Lyudmil repeated, answering the question the boy on the phone asked him. “Yes, I have the camera.”

The Legend of the Demon House was a popular tale among those in High School, especially Lyudmil’s school, which seemed to be filled with people interested with the paranormal. It was actually the only thing to talk about, the only thing interesting, anyway. Hearing tales about the ancient evil that apparently lurks within intrigued children and teenagers in every grade level. Some adults were intrigued as well. Despite the talk surrounding it, it really only remained a legend and a story, and no one really cared if the tale was true or not. It was just a fun ghost story, and no one really believed it. The only exception to this was Lyudmil’s other close friend, the one and only Maria Renard, who literally spent her whole life investigating and talking about the Demon House, studying its mysterious lore and questioning what it was like to actually see it. This whole investigation was her idea after all, and being the head of the school newspaper, she forced Lyudmil to take photographs of the house, since he was the designated photographer. In turn she would write the article due to her vast expanse of knowledge on the subject. To her dismay, she never had the time to actually go to the house due to her busy after-school schedule. Lyudmil honestly had no idea how she balanced school work, dance classes, and a full social calendar all at the same time when he could barely finish his Precalculus every night.

Lyudmil rolled his eyes. “No, Hector. I’m not going to die.”

The boy Lyudmil spoke with on the phone was his best friend and fellow junior, Hector, who was supposed to come see the house alongside him, being the co-editor and a reporter for the newspaper and all. But he was “sick” today and never went to school. So he would not go on the mission either, and the deadline for this month’s issue of the paper was nearing. This meant that moving the date was not an option whatsoever for they already waited too long to get it done in the first place. So Hector’s way of making up for it was calling Lyudmil on his way to the Demon House, making sure all was alright and that he was smart enough to keep himself from getting lost.

“You know it would have been easier if you didn’t bail,” Lyudmil said with a biting edge.

_“I’m sorry Lyudmil,”_ Hector replied on the other side of the phone call. _“I really was sick today.”_

“Yeah,” Lyudmil sneered. “Staying home with your girlfriend totally counts as being sick.”

Hector laughed, thinking he was so clever. “ _It just so happened that Rosaly came home on the day I got sick.”_

Hector heard Lyudmil scoff. It was complete B.S. and Lyudmil knew it. “You really expect me to believe that?”

“ _Actually, yes_."

That was when Lyudmil heard Rosaly speak to Hector on the other end of the line.

“Why am I even friends with you?” he bluntly asked.

“ _Because you love me?”_

“I think love is the wrong word, Hector.”

“ _No need to be so cruel. I am simply playing with you. And in all seriousness I really am sorry to leave you all alone on this. But all you have to do is take a photo and leave. I’m sure you can handle that on your own_.”

Lyudmil exhaled. “Whatever you say.”

Within the span of a breath, Lyudmil heard something rustle behind one of the many expanses of greenery. He stopped in his tracks and looked towards the noise. “Hey, I think I heard something. I’m gonna go. If you never hear from me again, just know it’s your fault.”

_“Goodness, Lyudmil. A simple goodbye is fine.”_

And Lyudmil hung up and put his iPhone 5 in his pocket. As quickly as possible he bent down on one knee and raised his Olympus mirrorless camera, aiming to catch a shot of whatever was behind the bush.

It was a wonder why he never used his phone to take pictures; it was definitely easier than having to lug an official camera around with him all of the time. But then again, his phone was about three generations behind and the photo quality left much to be desired. And to be honest, he liked the trustworthiness of a good camera. Something just felt good about it.

None of that changed the fact that he missed whatever was moving around behind the bush. It was probably just a bird of some sort. Maybe a squirrel.

“Damn,” he mumbled angrily.

With the interruption, he decided to take the moment to really take in his surroundings. It really was a beautiful forest, he had to admit. All of the greens and browns and yellows were absolutely beautiful. With the gorgeous weather of the day, it made it even more lovely. He was just hoping the house would show up soon. He was getting pretty deep into the forest by now and he was starting to become concerned about getting lost. But that was why he kept to the path so he could always find his way back. Maria also told him that there was no doubt that the path led to the house. Lyudmil slowly started finding that hard to believe. There was a reason no one saw the house.

It was hidden pretty damn well.

What if this mission went bust, if he could not find it? What were they going to cover in the paper now? Are they going to have to do another monotonous article about their “super fabulous” sports teams again?

_If I have to do another bit on that stupid sports team I swear…_ Lyudmil thought to himself. He did not hate the people themselves, or sports in general. It was just the only thing the paper covered. His school was no different than any other school; sports are life and everything else can go to Hell.

_Give the people what they want, I guess._

He walked a bit further down the overgrown, worn out dirt path and climbed over a fallen tree that blocked his way. It was then he noticed something. Looking to his left at a shady expanse of trees and overgrown plants, something seemed out of the ordinary. He could have just as easily bypassed it with a turn of the head. But once he saw it he refused to look away.

A wolf.

Not just any wolf though. It was a powdery white. It was a powdery white dusted with brushes of purple powder. It was like it was glowing a purple aura

Wait. Was it a wolf? Maybe it was some sort of…

Spirit.

A spirit in wolf form perhaps?

Maybe he was closer to the house than he thought.

That thought alone made him quiver.

But he refused to look away. Never had he ever seen something like this. He so badly wanted to reach for the camera, but he was too afraid it would notice and run away.

Then he remembered what he was here for. If this were a spirit of the house, it was his job to document it.

As slowly and as quietly as possible, he pulled up his camera, never turning, never blinking from the thing he saw standing so still deep in the forest. He remained practically motionless so he would not destroy this beautiful opportunity.

Before the lens reached his eye, the powdery being shot a look right at him. It looked right into Lyudmil’s cognac eyes with a piercing black gaze, locking him into its stare. Lyudmil could barely move. It was purely fascinating. The thing also had this elaborate “v” marking of some sort on its forehead. That was when Lyudmil realized the purple marks on its shoulders, too. But as soon as he saw it, there was yet another rustle heard off in the distance, which the wolf heard as well, causing it to change its attention away from Lyudmil.

There was finally a chance for a photo. Man if he could get this shot, he would never have to photograph a sports story ever again. But as soon as the camera reached eye level, the wolf bounded off, chasing whatever it heard, never to be seen again.

Like an idiot, Lyudmil yelled “Wait!” and started chasing it.

What if this thing were a vengeful demon and could devour Lyudmil’s soul in the blink of an eye? Should he really be chasing it?

But, it did not take long for the animal to outrun the human, especially when it took very little to make Lyudmil out of breath.

Knowing he lost, Lyudmil regretfully made his way back to the path he was so strictly following before, upset he missed the valuable photo opportunity, and now he was more on edge, knowing that he was not alone in these woods. For the first time the fact that he was visiting the Demon House hit him. He was willing to blame Hector for leaving him alone like this. But what would Hector say? He would say something like:

" _You should get yourself a girlfriend. This way you won’t be alone so much.”_

Despite how it may sound, Hector was really pure at heart, and was more similar to Lyudmil than either one of them dared to admit. Hector had a horrible relationship with his parents, still does, and Lyudmil is an orphan. In other words, both generally missed the whole parent thing in their lives and they found camaraderie through that. But Hector was always concerned for Lyudmil’s loner-like nature. He was not stoic or distant by any means. Lyudmil was definitely friendly in every meaning of the word; if need be Lyudmil could strike up conversation with a wall. But never did he want to commit to anything, or anyone. He talked in social situations if needed but it was never much more than that, with the exception being his really close friends. So Hector, being a great friend and all, did all in his power to try and find him a nice girl he could spend some time with to give him someone to care about. Lyudmil was a natural caregiver and was just the kind of person who needed to be with people, and Hector knew that. And Hector knew, now that he found his love Rosaly, that he could not always be at his best friend’s side. But Lyudmil always found some excuse to butt-out of anything Hector arranged for him. “Too much schoolwork” was his favorite excuse.

“I don’t need anybody,” Lyudmil whispered to himself. “Especially a girlfriend. I already have too much to be concerned about… Like this stupid school paper that no one else works on.”

It did not take long for Lyudmil to notice that the number of trees started dwindling down and the dirt path started turning to stone. Once he decided to remove his gaze from his feet, ahead of him he noticed a massive black-spiked gate.

Well, a broken one, anyway. The gate was parted just enough to allow someone to squeeze through. It was strewn with tangled vines and looked so-incredibly uninviting.

“Lyudmil,” he said to himself. “What the Hell have you gotten yourself into?”

He was pretty sure that it was considered trespassing, but no sign told him otherwise. He swore if he died here or was arrested he would haunt Hector as a spirit for the rest of his life, or perhaps make him pay his bail, depending on what the situation called for. Haunting him as a spirit seemed like more fun though, if spirits were real anyhow. Maybe this whole Demon House thing was a fluke and that wolf thing he saw was just the light playing tricks on his eyes.

Would that not mean he was going insane, then?

He would not doubt it. He was about to trespass on a property that has not been seen for hundreds of years and was apparently haunted by soul-eating demons, all by himself. And he could have sworn he saw a white-purple wolf standing in the middle of a forest.

Yep. He was insane.

But there was no turning back now.

Walking through the gate, Lyudmil finally saw what he had been looking for.

“Holy shit…”

The thing was huge, massive even. It was undoubtedly the traditional Japanese style. They called this thing a house. It looked more like a mansion. Floor after floor this thing rose. Okay, maybe it was really just three maybe four floors, but it was not lacking in horizontal measure; the length of it went on for days. And who knew if there were any floors beneath the ground? Legends said that this place had a crypt beneath the main floor that held the body of the former Lord.

Ignoring all the crawling vines and creepy tales, it was in actuality a stunning building. Quite a nice place to live in all honesty with the man-made lakes in front. Lyudmil thought he was looking for a disheveled shack with boarded windows. But instead he found an establishment fit for a Shogun.

Despite the beauty, Lyudmil’s heart began racing. He attributed it purely to nerves, not fear. He was not getting scared, not at all. That is what he at least told himself.

It was then he remembered he was there to take a photo of the place. Trying to be as professional as possible, he strolled from side to side, trying to find the best angle for the photo. But how could he possibly capture all of its grandeur in one simple photo?

So he just took a couple of different ones, let Maria choose which one she thought was best. That was all he had to do, right? He should call Maria, just to make sure all was done here. After all, he was never going to come back.

After pulling out his phone and finding Maria in his contact list, he gave her a call.

Lucky for him she picked up right away. _“Hey Lyudmil! Did you get the pictures?”_

“Like Hell I did. I better get a special mention for this.”

_“Of course. Anything for you. So? How is it? Is it as beautiful as I thought it was?”_

“It’s got a bit of wear, but I’d have to admit, it is quite fantastic.”

_“Oh! I’m so jealous you got to see it. I wish I could have gone!”_

“Yeah,” he said sarcastically. “I wish you could have too.” But she did not hear his sarcasm at all.

_“How’s the inside of the house?”_ she continued to inquire.

_“_ What?”

_“The inside. You got pictures inside, right?”_

“You wanted me to get inside too?”

_“Yeah! How awesome would that be to show everyone what’s inside.”_

“Oh Hell no!”

_“Oh come on, Lyudmil. This is my whole life! Do it for me. Please?”_

“I’m probably breaking enough laws already, thank you very much.”

_“Oh come on, don’t be such a joykill. No one is going to know. No one has been there in hundreds of years.”_

“Have you even thought if there are any squatters in there, possibly armed? And what if the place really is haunted? I’ve seen some pretty nasty stories about ghosts attaching themselves to the living and causing such problems that I really do not need in my life.”

_“Hey, I thought you didn’t believe in all that ghost stuff,”_ she pointed out matter-of-factly.

“It’s not that I don’t believe it,” he argued. “I just don’t give much credit to rumors, alright? But that doesn’t discourage the fact that there are just some grey areas in the world and that it will probably be me to open that door, considering my luck.”

_“How about this,”_ Maria said. “ _Just snap a quick photo of the doorway and then get out as soon as you want. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity! Wouldn’t you like to be known as the first High School student to see inside the Legendary Demon House?”_

Lyudmil honestly could not care any less. The last thing he wanted to do was go into that house. But, it did mean a lot to Maria. “Ugh. Fine. But only this once. But if a demon attaches itself to me I will not let you live it down.”

_“Oh Lyudmil, I swear you are a God! I will repay you I promise!”_

“Alright Maria. See you soon.”

_“Thank you thank you thank you! Oh I’m so excited! Please don’t die!”_

And she hung up.

Lyudmil’s friends were weird.

So there he stood, in front of the grand entrance of the infamous, legend starting, evil-infested, mystery-encompassed Demon House.

Saying a quick prayer to God Almighty, taking a deep breath, and holding to his camera for dear life, he put his hand on the notch of the door, and slid it open, anticipating to see either grand expanses of lavishly decorated walls and useless trinkets and statues of rulers long gone or a shrine to Satan himself with black-hooded cult followers around a glowing floor-pentagram ready to take Lyudmil as a sacrifice.

But what he saw could not have been more the opposite.

Yeah, the outside was full of grandeur. But the inside was as traditional as you could get, with fusumas and hashiras and everything. It was a bit dusty, a bit worn, but everything still seemed to be in place since the last Lord left it. Maybe the paper doors had a few holes, a stain on the walls here or there, a fallen table maybe. But otherwise, it was not all that bad.

Lyudmil gave a huge sigh of relief; he could keep his head one more day.

So, as he promised, he took a picture of his current viewpoint for Maria.

Mission accomplished. Lyudmil could now make a run for it.

But, now that he was in there, he kind of wanted to look in further. It was true, he was never going to come back here again. And, it did give him a little pride to be one of the only people of this century who has seen this place.

What harm could a little look-see do?

Also, if he told Hector he ran out as soon a possible he would never hear the end of it.

With soft footfalls he started to make his way further into the abode, snapping a quick picture every couple of steps. He came to a corner and mustered enough courage to turn, simply hoping nothing was going to jump out at him.

Lucky for him it was still just a plain room. The only difference with this section was that it had much more amenities than the other one. Except these amenities were just fabrics.

Fabric robes. Fabric blankets. Fabric scarves. All of them different colors. Designer sheer and shawls lay draped over paper dividers while elaborate kimonos decorated the floor. It was as if it all sprawled from the mound of blankets that centered the room and just flew wherever they wished.

“What a shame,” he spoke to himself. He walked towards a scarf that lay by his feet. It was a nice washed-denim blue color sheer fabric that was designed with navy colored prints of the classic Japanese-style wave. It looked quite expensive, and he loved the feel if it. What he would do to own such a marvelous accessory.

Lyudmil never really had much. He was not destitute, but being an orphan he did not really have the money to purchase such splurges, especially since he was only working twice a week and had recently turned seventeen. This meant that sooner rather than later he would have to buy an apartment before he was kicked out of the orphanage. He honestly would not mind working more, but he still had to focus on his studies in hopes that maybe he could get a scholarship so he did not have to pay for university all on his own.

All in all, he really liked that scarf.

So for the fun of it, he wrapped the sheer fabric around his neck, just to see what it would feel like.

“A little _fem_ for my tastes,” he playfully mocked, imitating some sort of nouveau roturier, which made him chuckle to himself. For awhile he strutted around, pretending he was some sort of well-respected prince doning the newest fashion craze, looking down at the mere peasants that surrounded his feet. For a moment he did not feel like he was in some ancient dwelling, he felt like he was somewhere where no one could judge, where there was no concern for the outside or what other people needed from him.

He could only imagine what it was really like to make a living in this house.

Goodness, whoever used to live here lived a wonderful life.

After playing around for a minute or so, Lyudmil on a mere whim turned back at the mound on the floor in the center of the room.

That was when he heard breathing.

He froze still, holding his breath to listen for what he thought he heard.

In his focus, he heard a pained sough. It was the kind of sigh you let out when waking up from a deep-night’s sleep, like the kind you have at six o’clock in the morning when you realize you have a full day of school ahead of you.

But it was not Lyudmil making those sounds.

It was then that the blanket fortress started to rise from one side, making Lyudmil’s heart drop. Lyudmil backed up against one of the tattered walls, almost ramming into a small side table, and he tried to keep his heart from beating out of his chest.

From beneath the array of colored fabric a mound of platinum blond hair revealed itself as the body rose from slumber. An arm robed in black also made itself known, moving and heavily placing itself down to support the slowly rising creature. Its robed back faced Lyudmil, its hair reaching what Lyudmil assumed to be its middle back, disclosing its true length. Its shoulders slumped until it could properly situate itself.

_A-a demon!_

It leaned there, breathing heavy, breathy sighs, seemingly unaware of Lyudmil’s presence. Its porcelain hand, with nails sharp as knives, rested beside it. Lyudmil was just standing there waiting for it to sprout black leather wings and a lizard tail. But, who really knew what lay hidden beneath all those fabrics?

God. Why did it have to move so slow. Lyudmil felt a bead of sweat form on his temple as he slowly wished to himself that it would just kill him now and get this over with. Or, maybe it would just go back to sleep and never even realize he was there in the first place. Then he could leave and he could survive and give Hector and Maria Hell for what he was going through for a stupid photo. Oh what he was going to say to them when he-

It stopped.

Shit, it heard him.

It knew he was there.

Lyudmil’s heart skipped a beat.

It started to slowly turn towards him.

Lyudmil could not breathe.

Breathing?

What was that?

Was he supposed to breathe?

How did one “breathe?”

Whatever it was he could not do it.

It twisted around ever so slowly, its tangled mess of hair draping down the sides of what he assumed was its face. The only thought that came to Lyudmil’s mind was a little movie called _The Grudge_ , which he never saw, and for good reason. Except this was the blond-demon edition, and this was no movie.  

Lyudmil was going to die then and there. He just knew it. This was the end. The last thing he was going to see was this thing’s horrid face.

He held tightly against the wall, forcing himself back as far as possible, trying to somehow avoid the inevitable, as its head slowly turned to look at Lyudmil with its, dastardly, disgusting, putrid, disfigured-

...face?

Its face…

It did not really look like an “it,”

It looked... human, actually.

A human that looked as fragile as a doll.

The insanely large amount of blonde hair fell so delicately around its polished visage and draped past its shoulders that were tenderly capped with a loose, black kimono. Its yellow irises were so profoundly contrasted by its neverending sable eyelashes that it was unlike anything he has ever seen before. They peered right at his tremoring, shock-filled stare. Its eyes were so worn, so tired, and filled with such… pain.

Such a spectral being enveloped in such expanses of color.

Lyudmil was hypnotized.

All it took was for the thing to voice a deep “Hello?” to break Lyudmil out of his trance and make him remember that this was a problem.

Beside Lyudmil on the side table happened to be this beautiful, very expensive looking tea set. It was this really nice white and blue porcelain with a lovely gold finish, complete with saucers and everything. It looked quite expensive.

In no time at all he was able to grab one of the cups and launched it across the room, hitting the thing square in the face while screaming at the top of his lungs, giving him the chance to bolt.

Never has he ran faster in all of his life. He sped past the corner and went out the way he came in, not even bothering to slide the door closed. His steps were practically leaps as he returned to that shabby pathway he followed to get here in the first place. Without thought he bounced over every stick and stone that would have normally tripped him. He refused to stop. He refused to turn back. He was not going to stop until he felt he was safe. He pretty much avoided Death itself and he swore to himself that he will never again look at that place.

He would rather be caught dead than be seen going back to that accursed House.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (No worries, all ambiguities will be explained eventually)
> 
> *Hector and Lyudmil are actually a BroTP for me, inside this AU as well as in the canon. Just as a side note ;)


	3. Curses

Everything was rushing past. His consciousness left him as he bolted out of the forest and to the busy suburban streets. His lungs started to burn, however stopping was not a choice for him. He was going to keep running and was not going to stop until he was sure no demon was chasing after him. 

He did not even want to take the time to look behind him to check if something was following him. He knew if he looked back, he would see something pure evil gravitating towards him. The last thing he wanted was to see that. 

People looked with utter confusion as he bolted down the sidewalk. His destination? He was not too sure of it himself. But in no time he found himself at Hector’s front door, pounding on it furiously, yelling at Hector to open the door and let him in. As soon as Hector opened it, Lyudmil flew inside, running to the opposite wall and yelled at Hector to close the door. 

Following Lyudmil’s orders and swinging the front door shut, he moved in haste towards his friend who backed against the wall and had this look of extreme horror on his face. “In God’s name, what happened to you?” 

Lyudmil could barely breathe. “I...I saw…” His own gasps cut him off. He bent over with his his hands on his knees, trying to catch his breath. 

Hector placed a hand on Lyudmil’s back, prodding for an explanation. “What? Did someone hurt you? What happened?” 

“There…” He gasped. “There was someone… Something…”

“In the house?”

Lyudmil nodded. 

“Did you get hurt?”

Lyudmil shook his head.

“Do you think you saw a demon?”

“I mean, maybe.”

“What kind of demon was it?”

Lyudmil started to pick himself up. “I have no idea… What it was… But I did not want to stay long enough to find out.”

“Here,” Hector said. “Why don’t you sit down and explain.” He guided Lyudmil to one of the dark colored sofas in Hector’s small living area. Hector placed himself beside Lyudmil and awaited for him to be ready to explain. As soon as he noticed Lyudmil growing more composed, he decided to ask again.

“Did you see a Demon?”

“I said I don’t know!” He yelled. “If I knew I saw a demon I would tell you I saw a demon!”

It was then that the bark of a dog was heard from the upper floor of the house. An Old English Sheepdog pranced down the stairs. It went directly to Hector’s lap, sniffing the denim of the jacket he wore over his white tee shirt. To give Lyudmil a minute to cool down, he focused his attentions to his dog, petting his face and scratching beneath his ears. He decided to use him as a technique to get his friend to speak. “Look, you’ve gotten Lytei all worried.”

Lyudmil just stared forward. 

Asking him did not seem to be working. Continuing with his adoration of Lytei, he simply tried to comfort his friend. “I’m sure it wasn’t a demon. You must have just, oh, I’m not sure, saw a shadow or something.”

Lyudmil feverishly shook his head. “There was someone there, Hector. It was no shadow.” 

“So, it was a ‘someone,’ then? Could have just been a squatter.”

“I wouldn’t think so. This thing did not look like the type to do such a thing. It seemed too comfortable there.”

“What did it look like?”

Lyudmil took a pause, thinking, remembering the porcelain figure draped in cloth. Although it only happened a few moments ago, he began to question the validity of what he saw. Was that thing  _ real _ ? The thing looked like a doll, not a breathing creature. Yet, he actually heard it breathe. He saw it move and turn. It  _ spoke  _ to him. The memory was so surreal. He knew it happened yet he did not want to believe it so; he could not believe it so. 

Apparently he paused for a really long time for Hector started speaking again. “Why don’t you explain to me what happened from the beginning?” 

Lyudmil shook his head, trying to throw himself out of this weird daze. “But I thought Rosaly was here? Wasn’t she back today?”

“She already left,” Hector responded. “She came back from one retreat to go to another. So I apologize, for that was why I chose to stay home. I won’t see her for another few weeks.”

“Oh. I’m sorry Hector.”

“I’ll be alright. She’ll be back. All it is is patience. Of course I have to be in love with the girl who wants to become a doctor under the church.”

Lyudmil chuckled, “Just your luck.” He paused. “So, you want me to tell you what happened?”

“Maybe I can help you figure it out.”

“Oh yeah. Your little ‘hobby.’” 

Hector was one who really appreciated the idea of personal studies. He primarily studied the paranormal and was quite well versed in Demonology. That is why he and Maria got along so well. She would discuss the theories of the Demon House and Hector could banter with his own knowledge. He was incredibly knowledgable on all the different types of demons as well as their distinguishing characteristics. But it was merely a hobby. However, this was just another thing that caused tension between him and his parents, for they were devout Christians. In all truthfulness, he was quite Christian himself. But his interest in the spiritual world only more convinced his parents that he was a demon himself. 

“But luckily this hobby of mine,” Hector continued, “it may be able to help determine if what you saw was a spirit or a human. So as long as you are comfortable, tell me everything.”

Not a lot of people liked Hector. He was definitely a unique human being, but someone so starkly different usually came with much ridicule from others. Not only were his interests peculiar, the strange attraction animals had towards him inevitably gave him looks of disdain and judgement from strangers he did not even know. A white-haired seventeen year old was also something quite extraordinary and only brought more attention to himself. And of course, his parents being who they were only pointed this out to him constantly. 

On the other hand, Lyudmil felt quite the opposite. Lyudmil could trust Hector with anything, despite his looks and interests. So he began to tell Hector what happened from when he first got off of the phone with him. He told Hector about the wolf. He told Hector about how he called Maria and how she asked him to go inside. Then he began to describe the room covered in old scarves and robes. 

“It looked no different from a normal, traditional Japanese style home. But there were all of these articles of clothing thrown onto the floor. And there was this mound of blankets in the middle. I had no idea something was lying under it.”

“So it just sat up and looked at you?”

Lyudmil nodded in confirmation. 

“What did it look like?”

Lyudmil stared ahead of himself, directly into space. “A doll. It looked like a porcelain doll.”

“A doll?” Hector pondered. “A possessed doll?”

“Well, it was not an actual doll. More like, its skin looked like it would shatter if you touched it. And its hair was this platinum blond and it seemed to go on for days.”

“Any other distinguishing characteristics?”

“Eyes.”

“Eyes?”

Lyudmil nodded then turned to look at Hector. “Its eyes.”

“What did they look like?”

“Sad.”

“They looked sad? Not red or black. Just sad?”

“They were a pale topaz. And it had these delicate eyelashes.” He turned away again. “I almost felt depressed looking at them.”  

Hector stopped again. “Did it speak to you?”

Lyudmil thought. “Mhm.”

“What did it say?”

“It said ‘Hello?’”

He thought for a moment. “What you’re describing doesn't sound very demonic.”

“But it couldn't have been human…” Lyudmil became crestfallen. “I just know it.”

Hector leaned back into his seat. “I guess it could have taken on a human form. I think certain demons can so that. But whatever it was, let’s just hope nothing attached to you. You didn’t do anything to make it angry, did you?”

Everything went still. Lyudmil practically stopped moving. “I threw a cup at its face.”

“You what?”

“I didn’t mean to though! I at least was not particularly aiming at the face. It just sort of happened!”

Hector rubbed his face in complete disappointment along with letting out a deep sigh. 

In response Lyudmil stood up, trying to defend himself, saying that it was the first thing that came to his mind and he proceeded to ask Hector what he would have done in the situation. 

“I wouldn’t have tried to provoke it!” He yelled back at Lyudmil, who was now pacing back and forth the living room. 

“Then this wouldn’t have happened if you had just kept your promise and came with me!”

Hector followed suit and stood as well and towered over Lyudmil as he started to lose his cool. “Look. I said I’m sorry I left you. But I had extenuating circumstances. I didn’t expect you to come across anything like this!”

Lyudmil felt his skin warming up, and he wanted to fix the collar around his neck, for it began to feel more oppressive than usual. However, he could not reach his collar because of the scarf around his neck.

_ The scarf! _

In a flash, Lyudmil yanked the blue fabric off of his neck and threw it on the floor and drew back from it as if it were spewing poison. Lytei began barking at the mound of fabric and all the commotion even caused Hector to pull back. “What the Hell is that?”

“I found it at the house, I guess I forgot to take it off!”

“Why would you have it on in the first place! That thing could have spiritual attachments that you could have just brought upon yourself!”

“Like I didn’t figure that out already, thank you.”

Hector knelt down to Lytei’s side to try and calm him down. “You have to bring it back.”

“What?”

“It’s only the right thing to do.”

Lyudmil refused to hear it. “Oh no. I am not going back there. Why don’t you do it?”

“If there is any attachment, it would be with you. The only way to ensure there are no hard feelings between you and this spirit is to demonstrate that you truly wish to remain apart and that you ask for no trouble. My presence would mean nothing.”

He sighed. “I guess you’re right…”

“I will come with you though.”

Lyudmil looked up. “Really?”

“Yes, as your friend I at least owe you that much.”

Lyudmil calmed and smiled. “Thank you.”

“Now, pick up that scarf and let’s go as soon as possible, before anything manifests.” 

Lyudmil began to look extremely nervous. “I really didn’t want to go back.”

“Don’t worry.”  He put a hand in Lyudmil’s shoulder. “I’ll be there with you. Just say a prayer and we should be fine.”

He looked up at his friend and could not help but solemnly smile. He was frightened to go back without a doubt, but at least he would not be alone. Hector was definitely stronger than Lyudmil would ever be, so he knew he was going to be safe. 

At least he hoped so. 

But it would probably be best to take some fear to avoid a demonic curse. So the two wasted no time in making a journey back to the Demon House. All Lyudmil could hope for was that their was no demon waiting patiently for his return. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry. I really have brushed this work under the carpet, haven't I? I'm sorry about that. But I found that I have had this chapter as a draft for God knows how long. So I decided to post it. I will get to it sometime, I promise. I just have so many other focuses right now, that this isn't my priority. Thanks for your understanding! 
> 
> See you sometime (hopefully) soon!


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